


Thulathi

by Selah



Series: The Sun, the Moon, and Other Stars [6]
Category: Jrock, LUNA SEA, Plastic Tree, X JAPAN
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Intersex Characters, Jealousy, Knotting, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Rituals, Multi, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Other, Season of Kink 2017, Threesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-19 04:44:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11890290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selah/pseuds/Selah
Summary: Watching Sugizo flirting with women was one thing, but watching the man courting thatboy....





	Thulathi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HamHamHeaven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HamHamHeaven/gifts).



> SMOS #3.3, thulathi = trio. Starting in December 1990 and going through most of 1991 (I _think_ ), this sets the background for some of the grumbling going on with the "modern" fics. 
> 
> Yes, in SMOS, an alpha can bite bond another alpha, though it's not as consuming or strong a bond as when an alpha bites an omega, even in double bites.
> 
> Gifting to Hamu, who didn't really ask for this, but has been encouraging me to Yoshi/Sugi for ages now. XD I'm blaming this on you, dear. -chu- Written for the Emotion/Jealousy play square on my SoK card.

Yoshiki didn't really think anything of it. After all, he had known Yuune since the late 70s, from a shared childhood at one of the finest alpha schools on the Kanto plain through wild college days, even though they had attended different universities, and the alcohol-fueled madness of the late 80s. As a craftsman and artist, Sugizo was only just starting to make any sort of name for himself. But as Sugihara Yuune, Yoshiki knew him better than anyone. The violin prodigy child who had wanted to be an Olympic star, the scholarship that had changed a young alpha's entire life path, and of course the scores of conquests, both male and female. Since even before Yuune had been old enough to truly understand such things, people had been drawn to him, wanting him. And more than once, when he had still been an impetuous teenager, Yuune might well have gotten himself expelled over nonsense with some girl if not for Yoshiki's friendship and protection.

And true, over the course of the past seven years, his dear friend had become something of a playboy, perhaps even a scoundrel and a dog. Some even speculated that was the real reason for the stage name, as it were - a way to separate the art from the artist's tumultuous past. Then again....

“I think you've had enough, my friend,” he said, his hand closing firmly on Yuune's shoulder.

“Pfft, what nonsense!” the alpha slurred. “Is it even midnight? I've only just barely met this gorgeous creature here before me!”

“It's nearly two am and your latest infatuation can wait,” Yoshiki half growled, shifting his hand down Yuune's arm. An overly dramatic sigh and Yuune scooped up the young omega's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it.

“Alas, I cannot so casually disregard my senpai, dear beauty. Call me, ne?”

Somehow, Yoshiki resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Just another omega bimbo, he almost felt sorry for the poor girl. Almost.

“Did you even give her a phone number?” he asked as they caught a cab together.

“I ... don't remember. Oh well, if I did, I did. If I didn't, well, there are plenty of other fish in the sea!”

He couldn't very well argue that point, though he still snorted before leaning forward to give the cabby his address. No sense in even pretending like he was going to let Yuune go anywhere without him. Especially when, by the time they reached his apartment, Yuune wasn't even able to keep himself upright without Yoshiki's help.

“You're a good friend, Yo-chan,” the younger alpha mumbled as he was gently helped into bed. “The very best. No omega, no one could be better to me than you.”

Yoshiki was startled both by the kiss, hungry and urgent, and by the way his friend seemed suddenly quite sober. Pushing back on his shoulders, he scowled at the younger alpha. It shouldn't have been possible to fool him and yet....

“Sugihara-kun, did you just _con_ your way into my bed?”

“Would you have brought me here had I still been sober tonight?” Yuune countered and Yoshiki was sorely tempted to wipe that sly smirk right off the man's face.

“You didn't have to play these games to get here,” he growled, tearing the younger man's shirt open with the soft ping of torn buttons hitting the floor. Yuune threaded fingers through Yoshiki's hair and pulled him into another hungry kiss. Yet despite his aggressive kisses, Yuune submitted to Yoshiki quite easily, even eagerly, practically begging the older alpha to fuck him. It was a request he was all too happy to fulfill.

“Just how long have you been planning this?” he asked much later, as they lay in bed together, entangled and finally sated, sharing a cigarette.

“Oh, not long. I've wanted you since junior high, but it wasn't like I could just come out and say it. Still can't, can I? Two male alphas? And with your family standing? Impossible, obviously, but then I thought, maybe if I could just have you for one night....”

“Fuck family standing,” he grumbled around the end of the cigarette. “Father doesn't run my life and he fucking knows it. Why do you think it's Yasunori he offered to the Kurosaki clan instead of me? I make my own way.”

“Easy to say now, when your father hasn't actually cast you out,” Yuune said softly, running fingers through the ruddy strawberry blond strands of Yoshiki's hair. “I know my place, senpai.”

“Your place is where I say,” Yoshiki snapped, tugging Yuune's head back and pressing another demanding kiss to his lips, almost humming at how easily the younger alpha submitted to him. “You're mine now, don't think I won't bite you if I have to!”

“Don't say such foolish things, Yo-chan. I will do as you say, go where you command, and never love another as I adore you,” the younger alpha murmured, cupping his cheek. “I will be what you wish, your private lover, your public business partner, your personal whore, but I won't let you throw me in your father's face like that. I have my alpha pride, too, love.”

“Never a whore,” he snarled forcefully. “Not mine and certainly never anyone else's. But fine, you win ... for now. What happens between us is private, for us alone. But if you're still unmated at 35, I'm claiming you and you aren't talking me out of it, not now and not then.”

“Perhaps not,” Yuune demurred, “but your own mate might have something to say in the matter when that day comes.”

Yoshiki snorted but inasmuch as he had no interest in arguing the point, he let it go.

“Date as you will, fuck whomever you like, but you bottom for no one, you submit to no one but me. That part of you shall be mine alone, agreed?”

“As you wish, Yo-sama~” the younger man teased. Growling again, Yoshiki pulled him into another searing kiss. Clearly he still needed to show Yuune his place.

~*~*~

Sugihara Yuune surveyed the marks left on his body with a satisfied hum. Yoshiki was always careful not to leave evidence where just anyone could find it, but as much as they both enjoyed his possessiveness.... In the six weeks since taking their relationship in this direction, Yuune had accumulated quite the collection. And each one brought a smile to his lips.

“And they call _me_ vain,” Yoshiki teased. “Come, get dressed or we're going to be late.”

“I thought you preferred arriving late to these things?” he asked conversationally, relenting and moving to his closet to pick out something appropriate.

“Which we are already on schedule to be, thank you. There's fashionably late and then there's inexcusable. Now hurry up or I'm leaving you behind!”

“... maybe you should,” he said softly, pausing with his hand on a plain leather jacket. Now what on earth had possessed him to say that? The thought had been circling his mind for days now, but he hadn't actually intended to set it loose, certainly not now. Of course it was far too late to call it back, meaning he was simply going to have to keep going forward with it.

“What??”

“Perhaps you should go without me,” he said, turning towards his lover with a low sigh. “We aren't teenagers anymore, you'll be thirty in a couple years. The world hasn't changed in the last six weeks, Yo-chan. If we keep showing up at these events together, people will talk.”

“Not if they know what's good for them they won't,” his lover muttered darkly, scowling over his shoulder at his closet. “Stop stalling, wear that one. I'm certainly not going to this blasted event _alone_!”

A short laugh and Yuune relented once more. After all, it wasn't like he actually _wanted_ to end this phase of their lives together already, far from it. Now that he finally _had_ Yoshiki, he fully intended to make the most of it and to hell with what anyone else thought. He knew they both expected this particularly party to be completely dull, unfortunately, but such was the price they paid for Yoshiki's family standing. Whatever he might say about choosing his own path and living his own life, there were still rules and expectations that guided Yoshiki's behavior. Besides, this could always be the night Yuune's mysterious and missing soulmate appeared before him. Or more scandalously, Yoshiki's absent soulmate. Or both? Now that could truly be a great adventure indeed.

~*~*~

Just chance that Yoshiki had chosen this noodle shop instead of one of the others in the area. A flustered beta gaijin was struggling to make sense of the menu and he was unable to resist, pulled in by something in her scent.

“You look like you need help,” he said in careful English as he stepped up beside her. Wide eyes the color of a winter sky turned to him and in an instant he knew. He could see that she felt it, too. He had never before been so grateful his father had insisted he master the English language.

“Um, sorry, yes please. I really thought my Japanese was ready for this, but apparently not.”

“You're flustered, that makes it worse. Which one are you wanting?”

“I meant to order the chef special? That's what the books all recommend. But maybe....”

“If you don't mind the company, I'd be happy to help. Seems we need to talk a bit, yes?”

“Y-yes. And no, I don't mind. Please take care of it ...?”

“Hayashi Yoshiki, a pleasure. Just a moment.”

Just chance, or perhaps a cruel twist of fate. His soulmate, Rebekah, was an Israeli-born Briton, visiting Tokyo on a two-week holiday as a last treat to herself. She had been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, and though she was due to start aggressive treatment as soon as she returned home, doctors held little hope for her survival. Hence the trip. Yoshiki had just been lucky enough, it seemed, to have run into her on only her second day. So of course he quietly offered to be her guide, to show her the best of Kanto and Kansai both. And of course she had tried to refuse, not that he had any intention of actually letting her.

“I couldn't impose....”

“As if my _soulmate_ could possibly be an imposition. Or is this where I make the wild and reckless suggestion that we get married?”

“Don't say such a thing to a dying woman, Hayashi-san, or she just might say yes!”

“Life is far too short to always play it safe,” he said with a wry grin. His father would be furious ... at first. In the end, he would understand. A soulmate was far too precious a gift to throw away for meaningless things. If Rebekah's days were numbered, then Yoshiki would see to it that those that remained were the best that they could be. For both of them.

~*~*~

For the sake of his dearest senpai, Yuune had put on his best face, standing beside his friend and giving his blessing to the sudden union. He even gave them a generous wedding gift before taking himself off to his old university, quietly slipping into a practice room with his violin. But the music offered no comfort, the sounds as heavy and melancholy as his heart.

“Senpai's heart must be bleeding to play such heavy things.”

Yuune stopped short, startled to be addressed so directly. The teenaged omega male was holding a tea tray with two cups, an unspoken invitation. He hesitated, the omega looked like he was maybe fifteen, though if he was a student at the university, that seemed a bit unlikely. Well, it wasn't like he had anywhere better to be.

“If senpai wants to talk about it...,” the teen murmured, pouring his tea.

“There's nothing left to say,” he said, sitting beside the young omega. “My best friend marred his soulmate today, knowing she probably won't live out the year.”

“My condolences, to you and to Hayashi-sama.”

“You know me?” he asked, startled.

“Sugizo-sama  _is_ on the University's list of notable alumni,” the omega said softly, ducking his head in sudden shyness. “Sorry if I've overstepped my bounds.”

“What? No ... no, I didn't mean.... I'm sorry, here I am drinking your tea and I haven't even asked your name.”

“Arimura Ryuutarou, _yoroshiku_ ,” the omega said, bowing so low he was practically folded in half.

“No, no, don't do that,” Sugizo said, shaking his head. “I'm just a poor kid who got lucky a time or two.”

“More than just luck, senpai,” Ryuutarou said with a shake of his head. “Sugizo-sama truly has a gift.”

“The greater gift is in the instrument,” he countered with a small smile. “I have years yet before I can say I have mastered my craft.”

“Then senpai is an artist with his hands in more ways than one.”

Had the omega intended his remark to be so flirtatious or was he imagining things? That little smile ... but he didn't want to misjudge this, to make a mistake of his kouhai's intentions. This had started, after all, with nothing more than an offer of tea.

“Yes.”

“Pardon?”

“I'm nineteen, I'll have my degree next spring. Graphic design. I'm being courted by a couple big firms, but I was honestly thinking of just doing freelance. I know it's risky, but I also know that the big firms aren't exactly known for being fair to their omega designers.”

“... if I had been half as put together at your age, perhaps I would not be in this mess now,” he said, gazing into his cup with a low, humorless laugh.

“Perhaps, but that path would not have led you here.”

That time, Yuune was certain the little minx was flirting with him. He had mostly avoided sleeping with men since that night with Yoshiki, now several months in the past. The omega beside him wasn't his usual type, being small and almost mousy, cute rather than drop dead gorgeous. But there was something about him....

“Ah, I must be keeping you from your studies, but thank you for the tea. We should have coffee some time.”

“Or dinner? Or is senpai more of a drinks and then breakfast later type?”

“I don't think I've ever gotten to breakfast after meeting for just drinks,” he said with a short laugh, though this one at least held genuine amusement.

“Well,” Ryuutarou said, tapping his card on the tray, “there's a first time for everything.

~*~*~

_He hadn't actually intended anything. And yet...._

~*~*~

To be honest, when Ryuutarou had left his card with the famous (some would say infamous) Sugizo-sama, he hadn't exactly been expecting anything to come of it. Even as an honored alum, he had a reputation for being, well, a bit of a hound. And Ryuutarou had been pretty sure his youthful face would be a strike against him. So when he had received a text message claiming to be from his senpai a few hours later, it had been surprising, exhilarating, and more than a little strange. When he was invited to dinner that very night, his first thought was that he was being played by one of his friends. And yet he still agreed to a time and place, curious to see how far his friend would go.

Except it really was Sugizo standing outside the small izakaya when he got there, greeting him with a surprisingly warm smile.

“I wasn't sure if you would actually come,” the alpha admitted with an adorably shy smile. “We didn't exactly do things right, I wondered if you would have thought I was secretly one of your friends messing with you.”

“Yeah, I thought about that, especially after you suggested meeting here. But then I figured ... at worst, it was an excuse to sit in one of my favorite izakaya for a couple of hours, working on homework and earning pity chicken from the owner's wife for having waited for a no-show date,” he explained, offering a shy smile of his own. Sugizo actually laughed and the omega felt his heart flutter. Only the second meeting and his senpai was already having this sort of effect on him??

“Well now I almost feel bad for spoiling such a fine plan,” his senpai said, holding the door open for him. Another little flutter for such gentlemanly behavior being directed his way for a change. Oh it would be far too easy to get used to this and that was something he definitely couldn't afford to do. He knew his place, he was a momentary fascination for his senpai and that was all. A day or two and Sugizo would move on to more appropriate interests, he was certain. Still, he could enjoy the attention while it lasted.

Dinner conversation was almost mundane as they discussed courses and professors and how things had (or hadn't, in some cases) changed since Sugizo's graduation. The alpha really was quite charming and for a brief moment, Ryuutarou lamented that he wasn't his soulmate. It would have made things so much easier. And complicated. But to have someone like Sugizo for his alpha....

“As we seem to have run out of dinner, could I interest you in a drink? I know the perfect place....”

“Perfect place, hmm?” he teased, giving the alpha a feigned suspicious look. As hard as his senpai was trying to look innocent, well, he was starting to suspect someone was looking to add another notch to his bedframe. Disappointing, but perhaps not surprising after all. And while Ryuutarou wouldn't argue that the alpha was indeed _very_ attractive ... if his senpai thought he was going to be easy to catch just because he was an omega....

When 'the perfect place' required a cab ... well, it was no surprise that not long after, Ryuutarou was being shown into a swank Ginza apartment. Though he was a little surprised at the decor: it looked cozy, homey rather than slick or showy. Ryuutarou recognized the high quality of the furniture and fixtures from his brief ventures into interior design, but the untrained eye was unlikely to notice the true wealth on display.

“Ah, I did manage to surprise you after all. Cognac?”

“I'm surprised because this decor style isn't at all what I was expecting from you, senpai, given your, ahem, reputation,” he said as he sank into the plush couch. “Oh gods, this couch ... it's perfect, I may never move again. Ah, I'll have what you're having.”

“Until tonight, the only hosting I've been doing here the last few years has all been corporate. Venture capitalists and industry talking heads for a little dot-com we're planning to launch soon. Industry and society types for other business. Boring stuff, really.”

“The sort of thing that looks good on paper but sounds dull to your dates?” he said with a quiet nod and hum. “Don't suppose you still need a designer for that internet business?”

“I don't mix business and pleasure,” Sugizo replied, handing him a snifter of brandy. Ryuutarou gladly accepted the drink, but he couldn't help a snort at the man's words.

“That's the biggest lie you've told yet, senpai,” he scolded, half expecting trouble for his tone. Instead, Sugizo laughed and took the seat beside him.

“Yes, I suppose you're right, but my relationship with Yo-chan isn't something discussed in public. Not that part of it anyway.”

“... is that why you invited me to dinner? To get away from being alone while he's away?”

“I'd be lying if I said it hadn't been a factor,” the alpha admitted with a low sigh, sipping his drink before continuing. “Coming back here, though, that was because of you being, well, you. I don't ... bring anyone else here anymore.”

“You love him and he's married another,” Ryuutarou said quietly.

“I've loved him half my life, not that _he_ knows that. And it's not exclusive, for either of us. She has terminal cancer, how could I _not_ let him be there for her? She came to Tokyo from England, alone, because she had no one to take this one last trip with her. She needs him right now, a hell of a lot more than I ever could.”

“All the right words and yet...?”

“And yet my all too human heart says this woman, a gaijin and mere beta, isn't worthy of him. He deserves better.”

“Your human heart or your alpha cock?” Ryuutarou countered, suddenly getting up and setting down his drink. “I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You alpha males are all the same, after all, looking down at the rest of us as if we're lesser beings for not being perfect like you alphas. Well I've got news for you Mister Alpha Knothead Sugihara Yuune! That great big dick of yours isn't worth a good goddamn without someone _else_ to carry the kids it wants so badly to make!”

He was halfway out the door before his senpai grabbed him. And dropped his arm just as quickly when Ryuutarou turned and snarled at him.

“I am NOT your _property_!” the omega snapped.

“I'm sorry,” Sugizo said, holding up both hands. “Grabbing you was a mistake. Please come back inside.”

“Why, so you can disappoint me with even more of your alpha male bullshit?!”

“Arimura-kun, please ... if you want to yell at me more, fine, I probably deserve it, but not here in the hall.”

“No, I think right here, in public, is the perfect place for your outdated, chauvinistic idiocy! Or are you afraid the neighbors will find out?”

“I'm concerned it's you they'll disagree with,” he said with tightly clenched jaws, offering his hand. “Please, come back inside.”

That was something he hadn't properly considered. This was an expensive building, the people living here were likely to be the ridiculously rich of Tokyo, children of old money or newer money still finding their place in the city. People a little too likely to still be thinking in outdated, chauvinistic patterns themselves. Somewhat mollified, he let Sugizo escort him back into the apartment and even accepted a cup of tea, though he was a little surprised at the choice.

“I know, arming you with a hot liquid to throw in my face is probably asking for trouble,” the alpha said with a wry grin. “But one of my dearest mentors always said tea could fix anything and everything. I figure it's worth a shot at least?”

“... you're such an idiot,” he huffed, though he could feel a smile crossing his lips even in spite of himself.

“Oh definitely, but insulting you was absolutely not my intention.”

“Mama always said I'd be happier with a beta than some alpha male knothead. She certainly has been.”

“Oh, your mother's an omega, too?”

“No, alpha.”

The look of realization on his senpai's face really was priceless. And yet the victory tasted of ashes.

“So, um, how utterly irredeemable is this relationship now?” his senpai asked, hanging his head, genuine shame rolling through his alpha scent. As if Ryuutarou didn't already feel bad enough.

“I don't believe in irredeemable relationships, as long as both sides are willing to work to make it right,” he said, shaking his head. And though he could scent his senpai's earnestness, it still surprised him when the alpha knelt before him, taking up one hand in both of his.

“Then how can I make this up to you?”

“... why do you even care?” he asked, genuinely bewildered. “I'm not on your level and I probably never will be. It's not like we're soulmates or anything, so....”

“You only say that because you didn't go into heat when we met, but I'm not convinced. It doesn't always happen, you know, that's why it's not considered reliable. Every time I look at you ... I thought it was just fear of being alone on a Friday night, but when you walked out on me just now ... it was like feeling a piece of myself being torn away. Please ... what must I do to prove myself to you?”

Sugizo was right, Ryuutarou wasn't convinced. Oh he felt a certain pull towards his senpai, yes, but that could just be his omega nature responding to Sugizo's alpha pheromones. Particularly if the alpha had indeed made up his mind about wanting Ryuutarou for himself. Though he still couldn't fathom why. He was nothing special, not really, not compared to someone like Sugizo.

Then again, maybe proving they were soulmates was an unfairly high standard. As his mother had been almost fond of reminding him, meeting one's soulmate was never promised. If he found someone worthy of him, beta or not, soulmate or not, that person deserved at least a fair chance. But was Sugizo actually worthy of him? He wasn't sure, nor was he sure what to demand the man do as proof of his worthiness.

“Anything you ask, Arimura-kun, only give me the chance. Please.”

“I don't know what to ask,” he confessed at last, sighing. “You ... I mean I was okay with the idea of a date or two before you lost interest in me, honest. I wasn't expecting anything more than that. I'm still not.”

“Then I suppose I'll just have to prove you wrong,” the alpha said with a firm nod. He wouldn't say it, but Ryuutarou wouldn't mind it one bit of Sugizo actually did.

~*~*~

It took him about half a month to figure out what Sugizo was doing. The little gifts, most arriving unsigned, were the first tokens of a ritual courtship, though somewhat modified for their modern era. Another, indeed Ryuutarou's own roommate, Yoshikazu, thought it bordered on creepy.

“Most guys might send flowers once, maybe twice, then maybe bring something special for your next date. Do you even _have_ a next date set yet?”

“It's called courting, Kazu-kun,” he said, smiling a little as he arranged the newest bouquet in a proper vase, gardenia and lily of the valley.

“He sent you a package of _meat_ ,” his roommate argued, wrinkling his nose. “Who _does_ that??”

“It's meant to show he can be a good provider,” Ryuutarou said, smiling a little. “You might want to get used to the idea, in Heian, courting could last up to two years.”

“ _Years_?! Oh _hell_ no, I'd rather move out than deal with this for the next two years!”

“Okay, _now_ you're just being ridiculous, Kazu-kun,” he huffed. “I don't think senpai will last that long, he'll probably get tired of it soon, but I'm still going to enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Fine, but if he starts sending you gifts of live shellfish, I'm done!”

Ryuutarou laughed ... and made a mental note to warn Sugizo just in case. Yoshikazu was the only _decent_ roommate he'd had in the last three years, he didn't want to risk chasing him off if he could prevent it.

~*~*~

“You have to go,” she said softly, rubbing his shoulder.

“Not without you I don't,” Yoshiki grumbled, not really wanting to be soothed. Especially since she was probably right.

“It's hardly a secret that your gaijin beta wife is dying of cancer, darling. The Emperor himself will be there, of _course_ you have to go,” Rebekah insisted, tugging his hair. Turning around, he caught her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“If I have to be there, then so should you, dearest. I'm sure the awards will be terribly boring, but at least you'll be seated? We might get lucky enough to share a table with not-dreadful companions, even.”

“You're horrible!” she said, laughing. “If the doctor says it's okay, then of course. Couldn't leave you to suffer through something like that all by yourself.”

“Precisely,” he said, nodding. Just because his wife was dying, that didn't mean he couldn't still show her the best of things. She deserved nothing less.

~*~*~

Yoshiki hadn't fully realized how preoccupied with Rebekah's health issues he had been until he found himself watching as Yuune sat a pretty young omega boy at their table, his date for the evening. Betas were giving off disapproving scents, muttering amongst themselves, once they realized the omega in the pretty furisode was _male_ , not female. He forced himself to smile through introductions, trying not to be too obvious about his study of the younger man. Common stock, good for a fling, but Yuune bringing him suggested his young lover saw the Arimura boy as much more than just a fling.

And then, to his growing horror, he found himself watching as Yuune doted on the boy, _courting_ him as if he were of noble blood, a precious treasure to be won from a wary family. Anger bubbled in the pit of his stomach, he forced himself to look away, to turn his attention to something, _anything_ else.

“Yoshi?” Rebekah murmured, her hand small and fragile on his shoulder. A mental shake and he turned to her with a gentle smile.

“Yes dear?”

“Everything all right?” she asked in quiet Hebrew, one of the handful of sentences he had learned from her. Safer than even English, no one else around them was likely to understand a word of it.

“Fine, it's fine,” he replied in Japanese, slipping his hand under the table to pat her leg. It wasn't, not at all, and he could tell she wasn't sure she believed his reassurances either, but for her sake he had to pretend. Now was definitely neither the time nor the place to deal with this impudence from his claimed kouhai.

~*~*~

Sugizo was aware his senpai wasn't pleased, how could he not have noticed? But he wasn't going to let Yoshiki's selfishness keep him from his soulmate. Four months and Ryuutarou still wasn't sure he believe he was being entirely honest with him. He would keep courting his omega as long as was necessary, though. He _knew_ he was right, he just had to find the way to prove it. Somehow.

Still, he had been in no way prepared for the hand that grabbed him, dragging him away from the restroom sinks by a fistful of hair into an actual stall.

“You arrogant bastard,” Yoshiki snarled, shoving him against the wall. “How _dare_ you play court to some nothing omega right in front of me!”

“He is _not nothing_ ,” Sugizo growled, fighting to free himself even though it was of no use. “What do you even care? You have a wife!”

“You are _mine_ ,” his senpai growled, roughly grabbing him by the crotch. “ _This_ is _mine_ , not that omega's!”

“Yours, hmm? The way I remember it, our relationship was always open. You certainly bedded plenty of people who weren't me.”

“I didn't _court_ them!”

“No but you certainly _married_ one!”

“You leave Rebekah out of this!” Yoshiki snapped.

“Ah, I see how it is, Hayashi-senpai can have _his_ soulmate, but because I've found mine in a male omega, well, that's different, obviously.”

A wordless snarl and Yoshiki was spinning him around, a demanding kiss being pressed to his lips. And as always, Sugizo felt himself submit, as if the months of neglect at the hands of this man had disappeared. A low moan and he pulled the alpha closer, wanting more. A voice at the back of his head was trying to insist this was wrong, a mistake, but he didn't have it in him to care. He _needed_ Yoshiki, needed him in a way he never felt with anyone else.

“You two probably should have locked the door first.”

Ryuutarou. Yuune froze, the first tendrils of panic slithering like ice over the embers of desire Yoshiki had ignited with his jealous possessiveness. Of all the ways to get caught ... not that his soulmate could actually _see_ him at the moment, but that was almost immaterial. 

“It's locked now, by the way.”

Taking a deep breath, he wasn't sure he trusted his senses just then. Ryuutarou's voice sounded curiously flat and there was neither anger nor bitter resignation in the omega's scent, which seemed ... off to him. This time when he tried to slip Yoshiki's hold, the alpha actually let him. Wary that his omega was somehow simply _hiding_ his anger, he slipped past his senpai, back out of the stall. And yet his soulmate looked ... amused?

“I suppose this was one way of proving your point, senpai,” Ryuutarou said with a slow lick of his lips. “Did you know, when one soulmate is aroused, the other can feel it? Other strong emotions, too, like jealousy. I told Rebekah-san I would take care of it. I also warned her - discreetly, of course - that you two _are_ old lovers and if Hayashi-sama didn't come back immediately, well....”

Sugizo hesitated, caught between his alpha lover and the soulmate who ... seemed to be encouraging this? In his hesitation, Ryuutarou moved closer, leaning into his chest. But when he spoke, it was loud enough for both alphas to be able to hear him clearly.

“I know how turned on you were by his jealousy, senpai. How jealous do you think he'd get if I started kissing you right now? If I went to my knees and started sucking you off right here, right now?”

“Ryuu,” he groaned, not even sure what he was trying to say. In the last six months, in keeping with courting tradition, Sugizo hadn't even asked for a kiss. As much as he very much wanted what the omega was offering, he absolutely did _not_ want their first time to be in some hotel bathroom, not even one as upscale as this. Especially not while Yoshiki watched.

“You presumptuous little _harlot_! Yuune, I forbid this. He is not one of us.”

Sugizo's heart quaked at those words.

“Yashi ... senpai ... don't. Please. Don't make me choose between my heart and my soulmate,” he pleaded, somehow finding himself on his knees before his senpai. “Please. Anything else, but don't ask this. _Please_.”

“... you treacherous little....”

The crack of skin against skin and Sugizo was completely frozen in place. But it wasn't his cheek that was stinging. And Yoshiki looked completely shocked.

“How _dare_ you! Do you know who I am?!”

“Right now, you're a selfish jackass alpha knothead who only cares about himself. **I** was willing to share. _Your wife_ was willing to share. But I suppose it's true what they say about the selfishness of alpha males. Only care about themselves. Are you really going to let some _mere beta woman_ be better than you? Outdone by a teenaged male omega?”

Sugizo winced for having his own inelegant words thrown in Yoshiki's face. This was getting worse by the minute, but he felt powerless to move, let alone put a stop to it.

“You don't know anything about me, you common –.”

Surging to his feet, Sugizo shoved Yoshiki back into the wall, hard.

“I said don't,” he snarled. “He is my _soulmate_ and not even you, Hayashi Yoshiki, my heart, will call him less. He is a piece of me as surely as you. If you cannot accept that....”

“... you're awfully certain of that. He is nothing!”

“He's here, isn't he? I'm still courting him, only a soulmate bond could have drawn him here.”

The utter _fury_ that exploded through Yoshiki's scent was almost enough to choke him, so much that he had to step back, but only one step. For his own sake, but more importantly, for Ryuutarou's sake, he refused to back down any further than that. Not even when cold accusation appeared in his senpai's eyes.

“You promised ... but then maybe I should have expected no less from some common –.”

Sugizo's palm stung, Yoshiki's face painted in wide-eyed shock once more.

“Tonight the only disgrace I see is you. If you insist on playing the fool –.”

He didn't even get to finish the thought before he was being spun around and shoved face-first into the tiled wall at the end of the stalls.

“You forget yourself, _Yuune_ ,” Yoshiki hissed against the back of his ear. “I made you and I can break you with a single word. You are _mine_.”

He had expected more, but something must have happened to distract his senpai. So much anger had filled the small bathroom, it was completely muddling his nose, but while the pressure had definitely not let up, nothing more was happening either. A deeper inhale gave him more of the anger, jealousy, and frustration ... and arousal? And not just his own, he recognized Yoshiki's scent and the first hints of something completely intoxicating: the scent of a receptive, aroused omega. What in the names of the gods....

A low groan from Yoshiki and the pressure finally eased enough that he could move, even turn around. He had not been prepared, had not been expecting the sight that greeted him: Ryuutarou knelt beside them both, fondling and even nuzzling at Yoshiki's crotch. Nor had he expected his own feelings of jealous lust to hit so strongly at the sight of the two pieces of his heart together like that. He wanted to tear them apart. He wanted to see just how far they would go. The thought of watching Yoshiki taking his omega while he watched helpless ... but not here, not now. With a low huff, he pushed between them, pulling Ryuutarou to his feet.

“I may belong to him, but he does _not_ get you before I do, my precious,” he murmured, pressing an almost (but not quite) chaste kiss to his omega's lips.

“Wasn't going to,” the young omega mumbled, pressing himself closer and curling fingers into Sugizo's hair. “Always yours first, but the two of you together....”

“... if I didn't know better, I'd accuse you of staging all of this in some twisted bid to get me back,” Yoshiki muttered, adjusting himself in his tuxedo.

“We should probably get back to our table before someone gets hotel staff on unlocking this door,” Sugizo sighed, pressing another quick kiss to Ryuutarou's lips before turning a heated look Yoshiki's way. “You should come to the condo after you've settled Rebekah-san at home tonight.”

Despite the dismissive snort, Sugizo recognized the determination in his senpai's scent. He would be quite surprised now if his senpai didn't come to the condo before the end of the night.

~*~*~

Ryuutarou was quietly glad he had already told Yoshikazu not to wait up for him. Not that he'd had _this_ in mind when he had said it, but he also wasn't going to complain. Sugizo felt so good, pressing against him as they stumbled through his apartment, unable to keep their hands off of each other any longer. If he didn't know better, he would be tempted to think he was about to go into heat again, as desperate as he felt to have Sugizo touch him, kiss him, claim him.

“You're sure about this?” his senpai mumbled even as his hands worked ineffectively to free Ryuutarou from the furisode he wore. Rolling his eyes, the omega pushed back lightly.

“I'm sure that you're never going to get me out of this kimono if you don't stop kissing me first,” he teased before turning around to present the tie of his obi to his alpha.

“Be careful or I'll stab you with a kanzashi,” he warned. “This was my grandmother's, I do not want it damaged or ruined by your alpha male impatience!”

“So little faith in me,” the alpha in question scolded, brushing a gentle kiss to the nape of his neck. “I would never disrespect such a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.”

Ryuutarou shivered and nearly purred at the tender, methodical way Sugizo undressed him, each piece removed with thoughtful precision, until he was naked before his soulmate. He could feel his alpha's eyes on him, taking in every centimeter of him, and it made him blush as he tried to cover himself with his hands.

“Don't do that,” his senpai murmured, stepping close and sliding hands over bare skin. “You have no reason to hide from me, ne?”

The heat in his cheeks was outrageous, but he knew his soulmate was right. It didn't stop the impulse to shyness, but it made it easier to grab the man, pull him into an eager kiss.

And then hesitation scent rose into the air between them and he groaned, swatting at his alpha's chest.

“Stop that, gods....”

“Sorry, I just ... Yo-sama could be here any moment and I ... is it really okay?”

“I meant what I said before, senpai. I'm willing to share you with him. And Rebekah-san ... she's worried, you know. About what will happen to him when she's gone,” he murmured, using the distraction of his words to move them both to Sugizo's generous bed. “Their love affair has been so intense, she fears her death will break him. She wants to know someone will be there for him when she's gone. I promised her we would be.”

“We?” his senpai echoed, blinking down at him in confusion.

“Yes, we, as in both of us. We're a package deal now, senpai. If he wants you back, he's going to have to deal with me, too. I'm not letting go of my soulmate just because some pretty alpha snaps his fingers, he's just going to have to learn to deal with it. Especially once we're mated.”

“.... what did I ever do to deserve you?” his alpha murmured, leaning down to press a gentle, tender kiss to his lips. He wouldn't say it, but as far as he was concerned, he was the lucky one.

“Do _I_ get any say in this?”

The intrusion of Yoshiki's cold voice and colder scent were enough to send a little shiver down Ryuutarou's spine. And yet, as far as he was concerned, his decision was final.

“My terms are my terms,” he said with a shrug, forcing himself to appear relaxed even with the unease from being completely naked while the two alphas were still both fully dressed. “I'd say it's your choice, you can take it or leave it, but ... all things considered ... it'd be more accurate to just say no.”

“... you're too encouraging of bad behavior, Yuune.”

“Why, because I 'allow' my omega to speak his mind? Come off it, Yo-chan. You know as well as I do that that's a load of trash.”

“You're the one insisting on bringing him into our world. If you aren't going to look after him properly....”

“Dammit, it's the 90s, Yashi, the end of the 20th century and the cusp of the 21st. If Tokyo's high society can't handle an educated, exceptional omega speaking his mind even now, then _they're_ the ones who need to change, not my Tarou.”

“Yuune, be reasonable,” Yoshiki growled, though Ryuutarou noticed the man wasn't leaving, was, in fact, starting to undress.

“No, it's time things changed. You and I are in a position to push for that change, for real equality for all. I for one intend to take it. Your support would make a difference. In our lives and for your little brother.”

“... that's playing dirty, Yuune.”

“Whatever it takes to win, Yo-chan, even with you. Isn't that what you taught me? Now stop arguing meaningless details and come to bed.”

“They're not meaningless and why is he naked while you're still fully dressed?” Yoshiki countered, tossing his tuxedo jacket over the back of a chair. “If you think throwing a naked omega at me is going to distract me from how absolutely livid I am with you....”

Ryuutarou's eyes slid sidelong to Sugizo, watching his alpha rise from the bed. So distracted was he by watching his senpai undoing his tie and cuff links, he was caught completely off guard by the hands fussing at his hair, the nose that brushed against the nape of his neck.

“Well, he might be right,” the older alpha murmured, setting aside the nearly forgotten kanzashi and using his fingers to comb through Ryuutarou's hair. “You should be careful what you volunteer yourself for, little one.”

Ryuutarou blushed, averting his eyes as his wrist was grabbed, his hand pulled to the older alpha's shirt. He glanced sidelong at Sugizo, licking suddenly dry lips. At a tiny nod from his alpha, he started carefully undoing the buttons of Yoshiki's shirt, hesitating a moment at the last one. A low chuckle from the older man and he quickly finished, pushing the shirt off the blond alpha's shoulders. But when he got up to put the shirt with Yoshiki's jacket, the alpha grabbed him, pulling him down into his lap and pressing a demanding kiss to his lips. Panic bubbled up at the back of his head, conflicting scents tangling in his nose. Desire, arousal, frustration, jealousy....

A low growl and Ryuutarou found himself being physically lifted out of Yoshiki's lap.

“Mine first, you greedy ass,” Sugizo grumbled, pulling Ryuutarou even closer to his naked chest. Correction, naked whole body, his alpha's half-hard cock pressing against his ass.

“If you expected to keep him all to yourself, perhaps you shouldn't have _flaunted_ him in my face so much, _Yuune_ ,” Yoshiki said, coldness dripping from each word. From the little twitches of his senpai's body, the subtle shift in his scent, Ryuutarou could tell Sugizo was struggling with ... something.

“I suppose next you'll say you were doing no such thing? Or maybe that you think I should just sit here and watch, waiting my turn? Don't forget to whom _you_ belong, _Yuune_.”

In spite of himself, the warring scents of the two alphas was too much, Ryuutarou whimpering as he turned to press his face into Sugizo's strong chest. It only sort of helped, the hand petting his hair helping a little more. On some primal level, it was flattering, having two such powerful alphas fighting over him. But his intellect feared what would happen if the bond between these two men broke because of him. And the twitches, in that context, suddenly made complete sense. A deep breath, as hard as it was, and he made himself lean back enough to pull Sugizo into a slow, tender kiss.

“I'm not a blushing virgin, senpai,” he murmured, cupping his alpha's cheeks in his hands. “I haven't ever been with two _alphas_ before, you'll have to go a little bit easy with me, but I can manage. I think.”

Sugizo's worries were nearly a visible cloud around him as he hugged Ryuutarou even tighter and something in his heart wibbled, falling a little more.

“Are ... are you sure? This isn't ... this isn't what I'd planned for us....”

“Always so sweet,” the omega mumbled, rocking up to brush another kiss to his lips. “How could I say no to you, my precious senpai?”

Even with those words in the air, the touch of a hand not his alpha's on his spine sent a jolt through him. Glancing over his shoulder, he was surprised to see Yoshiki standing behind him with a very obvious tent in his pants.

“So I don't need to tell you what to do next?” the elder alpha asked, a slow smirk curving his lips. Ryuutarou still glanced to Sugizo first before sinking to his knees between the two alphas. His hands slid up Yoshiki's legs to slowly undo his belt, then the button and zipper of his pants. From where he knelt, the scent of aroused alpha was almost enough to make him dizzy and he groaned, wetness building between his thighs. Yoshiki tangled a hand in his long hair, pulling him closer, while Sugizo trailed kisses down his neck and across his shoulders, wicked fingers sliding lower to tease and explore the folds of his pussy. He groaned with how easily a finger slipped inside of him, momentarily forgetting what he was doing as more slick dripped from his lower lips. A sharp tug on his hair pulled another moan from him, but it was also enough to remind him why he was on his knees in the first place. Hooking fingers in the waistband of both pants and briefs, he pulled them down just enough to free Yoshiki's cock, whimpering a little as the scent of the alpha's obvious arousal hit him even more. 

The men he had slept with in the past had nearly all been betas, the others a couple omegas, and while a couple had been well endowed, for betas, none of them could compare to this. He wasn't even sure he could get very much of that in his mouth, glancing up through his lashes at the blond alpha to see if he was actually expecting oral. He could still see the fires of jealousy in those eyes, though he wasn't quite sure why ... until slick hands closed on his skin, pushing and pulling him down onto his hands and knees. The head of his senpai's cock rubbed against his lower lips and he groaned, pushing his hips back and sinking lower, presenting himself to his alpha. It was an invitation too tempting for his alpha to resist and in one thrust he felt Sugizo sink into him to the knot, both of them crying out in pleasure. _Nothing_ had ever filled him this much or felt this good, stimulating him in all the best places. He was losing his mind to it, didn't want it to ever stop, not even when his first orgasm hit and all he could sense was sex and white.

Licking his lips again, he was startled to taste alpha there, senses still reeling as his alpha kept pounding into him. But why was he tasting...? A sharp tug on his hair and the head of an alpha's cock pushed itself into his mouth. He could feel himself gagging on the thick cock, held down on it while his throat spasmed. Darkness was closing in on him, he couldn't breathe, and then the cock was abruptly withdrawing, leaving him coughing and heaving as he was pulled back against Sugizo's muscular chest.

“Breathe, baby,” his alpha murmured, arms wrapping him in protective scents, greens and the ocean and the warmth of a protective alpha. “That's it, sweetheart, just breathe.”

A third hand was stroking his cheek, his hair, bringing with it the scent of pine pitch and worry. Glancing up, he was genuinely surprised to see concern and contrition in Yoshiki.

“When you said ... you should have told us you haven't had _any_ alpha lovers before,” the blond grumbled, but despite his tone, there was obvious worry in his eyes, in the gentleness of his touch, something Ryuutarou had definitely not expected. A sentiment that apparently made its way into his scent from the way Yoshiki's nostrils flared briefly.

“Yuune is precious to me and you are precious to him. Why would I not treat you accordingly?” the older alpha demanded, an odd coldness in his voice. Unable to get the words past the soreness of his throat, he lowered his eyes instead. And yet that was clearly not enough, the blond alpha grabbing his chin and forcing Ryuutarou's eyes back up to his face.

“Yuune is mine, what his heart feels, my heart feels. Others will not understand it, say there can be no soulmate bond between us. They are wrong. Our souls are bound together in Yuune's flesh, in his heart. I would sooner cut _myself_ open than hurt you, _either_ of you. Yes, the jealousy is, was, and always will be real, but the love for him is even more real. The love will _always_ be more real.”

The kiss Yoshiki pressed to his lips was sweet and gentle, his touch filled with something not unlike remorse, and Ryuutarou could feel himself all but melting between his two alphas. Kisses drifted to his cheeks from both men and only then did he realize he was crying.

“S-sorry,” he stammered, coughing on the word. “'ve ruined it.”

“Haven't ruined a damn thing,” Sugizo muttered, bumping their hips together in a stark reminder that they were still joined. “Though I'm guessing a double knotting is probably out of the question.”

“Obviously,” Yoshiki drawled, leaning in to brush another kiss to Ryuutarou's lips before turning a wicked smirk on Sugizo. “You can build him up to it for next time. In the meantime, I suppose I'll just have to knot _you_ instead!”

Something in the scents of the two men sent a shiver down his spine. Ryuutarou whined as he was moved up the bed, whimpering at the loss of Sugizo's cock as he was laid out on his back.

“Trust me, kitten, this way will be better,” his alpha murmured as he settled between Ryuutarou's thighs. The omega watched as Yoshiki moved behind Sugizo, the two alphas getting swept up in their own world as they exchanged heated kisses. He whimpered as he watched them, his own arousal rising once more. He wanted to be a part of them and at the same time he was afraid to interrupt.

“Don't make Ryuu-chan feel left out now, love,” the older alpha murmured. With a low moan, Sugizo moved forward again and Ryuutarou purred at the feel of his alpha's cock sliding back into him. More than that, he could feel the power of Yoshiki's thrusts driving Sugizo deeper into him, as if the blond alpha was trying to lay claim to the both of them. Nor did Yoshiki's thrusts slow for even a moment as Sugizo's knot swelled, locking them together an instant before the alpha came. The rush was almost too much, both of them whimpering as they felt Yoshiki still moving, still thrusting his way to his own climax. Ryuutarou almost panicked at the sudden worry he was going to be crushed under the weight of two knotted alphas. Instead, he felt more fluids joining the mess of Sugizo's bed, a frown of tired surprise tugging at his lips. What...?

“You think too much, dear one,” Yoshiki murmured, fingers combing through the sated omega's hair. A soft hum joined those words as he was lifted from the bed by his beloved senpai, Sugizo's knot still firmly tying them together. His alpha held him close as he moved them to a settee, petting his hair.

“Sleep, love,” Sugizo murmured. “You're safe with me.”

Strange words, but then his senpai was often strange. It was enough to know that the words were true, however seemingly out of place, and he happily curled into his alpha's strong chest as best he could, closing his eyes as he listened to the beating of his heart. Yoshikazu could kill him for this later, he didn't care, he had made the right choice, he was certain of it.

“I suppose it's too late to talk you out of mating him,” Yoshiki murmured and Ryuutarou felt himself frowning. What had brought this on? But he was too tired to argue it himself, to do anything but lay against Sugizo's chest and try not to fall asleep yet. As perhaps the elder alpha had intended. Bastard.

“He is my soulmate. When he is ready, I would even marry him if it was what he wanted.”

“The old guard won't approve.”

“Sod the old guard. He is mine and I _will not_ abandon him just because he was born male. Neither will I hide him or keep him cloistered away from their judgement. The world is changing, whether they like it or not.”

“Oh they definitely won't like it,” Yoshiki murmured and Ryuutarou struggled to stay awake just a little longer. “But you're right. The time of letting Western betas dictate to us is past. It is time we reminded the older alpha males the strength of our omegas. We have weakened ourselves to no purpose for long enough. But we must move carefully, my love. Even with this ... interruption, you really need to finish the courting you started. And secure him a proper escort. And I think ... how soon to his degree?”

“Four months, why?”

“Something to discuss when he wakes again then. For now, as you said, he needs his rest. Stop eavesdropping, sweet Ryuu-chan, and sleep. Nothing will be decided without you, dearest one, on that you have my word. And the Hayashi clan does not break its vows.”

Caught. And yet worth the scolding for the way both alphas settled him in Sugizo's bed, freshly remade with clean linens, the both of them curled around him as if to physically protect him from harm. He had never heard of two alphas _sharing_ an omega before, and yet that was exactly how it felt, how they seemed to intend to take things going forward. A precious treasure to them both. He only hoped he could be worthy of them.


End file.
